HR Specialist salary
From 1,413 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 13-1071: Human Resources Specialists
- Also filed as: Recruiter
At a glance
- Mostly Level II (mid-level). 39% of HR Specialist filings are Level II, compared with 42% across all H-1B filings.
- Top filer: Amazon. 117 filings (8% of the total), median $117,000.
- Pay depends on the city. Among the 3 metro areas with the most filings, the median ranges from $76,980 in New York, NY to $135,500 in San Jose, CA.
- Median up 29% since FY2020. From $70,000 in FY2020 to $90,000 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
HR Specialist H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 1,413 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for HR Specialist jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 13-1071, Human Resources Specialists). The median base salary is $80,000, 35% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $62,962 and $112,400. The most common wage level is Level II (mid-level), at 39% of filings. New York, NY has the most filings (296), and Amazon is the employer that files the most (117).
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Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.
Top employers for HR Specialist
Amazon117 filings · 8%$117,000
EY44 filings · 3%$123,300
ByteDance25 filings · 2%$126,880
TikTok18 filings · 1%$134,219
Intellipro Group12 filings · 1%$89,075
Goldman Sachs11 filings · 1%$110,000
Microsoft10 filings · 1%$137,000
Employers with the most HR Specialist filings. Bar: share of all HR Specialist filings. Figure: median base salary.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 24% of filings
Mid-level · 39% of filings
Senior · 19% of filings
Expert · 19% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | $58,157 | 332 |
| Level II · Qualified | $76,500 | 540 |
| Level III · Experienced | $96,450 | 264 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | $130,000 | 265 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
HR Specialist pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 23 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $76,980 | 296 |
| San Jose, CA | $135,500 | 118 |
| Seattle, WA | $116,938 | 116 |
| Dallas, TX | $71,469 | 91 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $71,500 | 73 |
| Washington, DC | $80,000 | 71 |
| San Francisco, CA | $120,000 | 55 |
| Houston, TX | $77,300 | 51 |
| Atlanta, GA | $74,672 | 44 |
| Chicago, IL | $70,000 | 43 |
| Boston, MA | $78,000 | 35 |
| Austin, TX | $91,433 | 34 |
| Miami, FL | $70,986 | 28 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $72,134 | 17 |
| Charlotte, NC | $65,000 | 15 |
| Riverside, CA | $60,000 | 15 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $77,358 | 14 |
| San Diego, CA | $85,000 | 13 |
| Detroit, MI | $75,951 | 12 |
| Tampa, FL | $87,359 | 12 |
| Salt Lake, UT | $83,400 | 11 |
| Denver, CO | $79,000 | 10 |
| Trenton, NJ | $75,618 | 10 |
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a HR Specialist does
Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas.
Typical tasks
- Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
- Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
- Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Prepare or maintain employment records related to events, such as hiring, termination, leaves, transfers, or promotions, using human resources management system software.
- Address employee relations issues, such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other employee concerns.
- Review employment applications and job orders to match applicants with job requirements.
Preparation
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
O*NET occupation: Human Resources Specialists (13-1071.00). This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers
Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Human Resources Specialists), the median annual wage was $75,940 in May 2025, with 912,430 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $80,000, 5% higher.
| H-1B filings | All U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $55,999 | $47,180 |
| 25th percentile | $62,962 | $58,610 |
| Median | $80,000 | $75,940 |
| 75th percentile | $112,400 | $99,380 |
| 90th percentile | $144,960 | $128,720 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $55,999 |
| 25th | $62,962 |
| 50th (median) | $80,000 |
| 75th | $112,400 |
| 90th | $144,960 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $70,000 | $60,000 | $87,408 | 697 |
| FY2021 | $72,862 | $63,232 | $96,000 | 650 |
| FY2022 | $75,000 | $61,256 | $99,382 | 882 |
| FY2023 | $74,090 | $60,000 | $100,000 | 682 |
| FY2024 | $74,090 | $60,000 | $105,029 | 783 |
| FY2025 | $75,573 | $60,976 | $100,000 | 824 |
| FY2026 | $90,000 | $72,000 | $121,430 | 589 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B HR Specialist make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for HR Specialist jobs is $80,000 (1,413 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $62,962 and $112,400.
What does an entry-level HR Specialist earn on an H-1B?
Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $58,157. Level I accounts for 24% of HR Specialist filings.
Which city pays H-1B HR Specialists the most?
Among metro areas with at least 100 filings, San Jose, CA has the highest median base salary for HR Specialist jobs: $135,500 (118 filings).
Which employers file the most H-1B applications for HR Specialists?
Amazon (117), EY (44) and ByteDance (25) filed the most HR Specialist LCAs in FY2025–FY2026.
Do H-1B HR Specialists earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?
The H-1B median base salary ($80,000) is 5% higher than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($75,940, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.